When ordering pizza for a large group this is how it always goes…
Yeah, several people are going to ask for loaded, quite a few may ask for cheese, maybe even a certain number want vegetarian, but I can guarantee you this: The pepperoni and the sausage/pepperoni WILL be the first to go. This forces dedicated carnivores such as myself to then solemnly watch empty-plated while everyone finishes off the inferior varieties left behind.
My only recourse is to pile up my plate with the good stuff at the first opportunity. Sure, this makes me look like a gluttonous cretin, but I see no other way to ensure I get my fill of meaty goodness.
Please, for the love of God, DO NOT order as many loaded, veggie, and cheese pizzas as you think you will need, because when you asked everyone what kind of pizza they like…THEY WERE LYING!
There’s one person in our office who can’t eat gluten. I hate it when I accidentally get a slice of gluten-free pizza.
FWIW, I made pizza last night: Pepperoni, meatball, red onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and garlic. Plenty of garlic. (It helps to counteract the blandness of the tomatoes.) In deference to the SO, I did not put anchovies on it. Dammit.
Yep, there’s a reason pepperoni pizzas are are the #1 most popular pizza in America.
This is definitely a case where less is more. When you order a ‘junk’ pizza all it takes is for someone to not like 1 ingredient for it not to get eaten by the person. For the next person it might be a different ingredient.
I’f found that basic cheese pizzas, and a variety of 1 or 2 topping pizzas work best. Dang It! Now I’m hungry from pizza; I might have to hit the new Whole Foods that opened up near me.
I love pizza but hate ordering with other people. I’m super picky to begin with so I’m not one who will just pick off the offending substance. If I’m asked what kind I want and I’m the only one who asks for plain cheese (not really, just an example)please let me get my share before you all suddenly decide you’d like some too and end up eating it all.
Fortunately here at work we order from a place that also sells by the slice if you want so that eliminates any hassles.
What’s the definition of “loaded” here? The way I think of the term it can be loaded with good stuff, (spicy beef, pepperoni etc.) or loaded with bad stuff like veg, (Why?) The only pizza that isn’t “loaded” to me would be a straight cheese/tomato.
I’ve hosted enough pizza bashes at work to note the following: Pizzas with 3 or fewer toppings move better than pizzas with > 3 toppings also. People will take a slice when they only have to remove one ingredient they can’t stand, compared to picking off 2 or 3 or 4 or 8 things.
Arguments like this are why Mod Pizza, the latest chain to spring up in this part of the country, is such a godsend - they exclusively make individual-sized pizzas, and they offer as many toppings as you want for one flat price, so everyone in your party can customize to their heart’s content.
I like to get mine gussied up with pepperoni, salami, spicy sausage, jalapenos, pepperoncinis, onion, diced tomato, and extra garlic.
Here’s my theory: the people who order “loaded” (or “supreme” or “combo” or whatever) pizza do so because they like a variety of toppings. But that same love of variety leads them to take pieces from several different pizzas, not just the loaded one.
I may be the only person on the planet who doesn’t like pepperoni. And no matter what anyone chooses to put on a loaded pizza, pepperoni is ALWAYS on there. In work gatherings, that leaves me with two choices - veggie or hawaiian (blergh, pineapple on a pizza?? phooey).
I have solved my problem by jumping up and volunteering to order the pizza every time a pizza event is planned. Then I can get at least one pizza with sausage, mushrooms, onion, and peppers…just as God intended for pizza to be made.
FWIW, I go for the ‘supreme’ (‘loaded’) pizza first. Then pepperoni-and-sausage, then pepperoni, then Hawaiian. I leave the cheese pizza for whoever wanted a cheese pizza.
I dislike both green peppers and olives, but olives are an order of magnitude worse. I’ll only bother excising the olives and not worry about the peppers.
Suddenly I wonder if there’s such a thing as a pizza buffet that starts with plain cheese slices and has trays of toppings for you to sprinkle on to your pleasure.
When we got a new manager a couple years ago, she ordered a Hawaiian and one or two other pizzas for staff meetings. There was always most of that pizza left. I think she was the only one who ate a slice but then she’d eat some of the other pizza. People wouldn’t even eat it when it was leftover and free food and we work at a place where it gets busy and you don’t always have time to get other food or cook you own dinner and we like just about any free food. They wouldn’t even pick off the pineapple. I think it took her a few orders before she realized no one else liked that pizza.
Like the OP, I think the best options are just one or two items but no pineapple.
